man comes into this office, Alex, and it’s not because of that
cute little beagle pup of his.”
“I’m not
listening.” I put my hands over my ears to emphasize the point as I made my way
to the small office I kept in the back. It was barely more than a closet but
big enough that I could squeeze in a small desk, a bookshelf containing a host
of animal care books and a filing cabinet. More than anything, it was my
retreat while I wasn’t seeing a patient. I turned on the computer to begin filling
my time until my first appointment. My email proved a useless distraction,
filled with spam advertisements that only made my lonely condition appear even
more desperate than it really was.
I made it
through my first two morning appointments and braced myself for Adam and
Tiger’s arrival. Just as I expected, Adam walked in the door exactly five
minutes before his allotted time. I listened as he exchanged greetings with
Mary and I peered around the corner from my partially open office door just
enough to get a glimpse of him with Tiger jumping happily at his feet. That was
not a sick dog.
“Hello, Adam,” I
said once Mary got a weight and temperature reading and allowed them to settle
in the exam room. I pushed my hands into the pockets of my coat hoping to hide
the fact that for some reason today, I was actually shaking.
“Dr. Jamison,”
he said reaching to shake my hand, firm and confident.
“Please, Adam, I
told you last time that you could call me Alex. No need to be so formal.”
“Sure, Alex,” he
said smiling as he released my hand. I couldn’t help but to notice the glint in
his green eyes as he looked at me. There was something warm and inviting about
his smile that I hadn’t really noticed before, despite his frequent appearances
in my office. Mary was not shy about making her opinion about Adam known. He
was hot and he had his eye on me. I had to admit that his frequent visits were
starting to feel less coincidental. Mary went as far as to suggest that the
only reason that Adam even got a puppy was so that he’d have an excuse to come
see me. I found that a bit ludicrous. But Adam was becoming less shy about
hiding his interest in me. He had asked me out the last three times he came
into my office and I’d quickly turned him down each time. I was counting on the
fact that he’d make a fourth attempt today and I had already prepared my
rejection.
I pulled away
from his green eyes and set to examine Tiger from top to bottom, certain that I
wouldn’t actually find anything wrong with him. I asked a few questions about
his habits and Adam gave me quick responses. Once I’d finished, I leaned back
against the counter and decided to get straight to the point.
“Tiger is one of
the healthiest little puppies, I’ve seen,” I said to him trying to ease
whatever concerns kept landing him back in my office. “I really think you just
need to give him a little time to settle into his new home.”
Adam petted
Tiger’s head affectionately avoiding my direct eye contact. I braced myself for
the real reason he was here and decided to cut him off before he’d managed to
say the words.
“I’m not going
to charge you for this visit,” I said as I tried to search for the right words
to put an end to this once and for all, “but I don’t expect to see you back
here until Tiger is due for his next round of vaccinations.”
Adam attached
the leash to Tiger’s collar and set him back on the floor. He didn’t need to
say anything. My tone made it clear that I didn’t plan on budging from this
decision and I was certain the man could only handle being rejected so many
times before he finally moved on. As I watched him mess with Tiger, a new
stirring started in the pit of my stomach. From the back, he looked remarkably
like the stranger I’d encountered the other night.
Adam stood up to
face me and offer his hand to shake again and I struggled to catch my breath.
It hadn’t been him that night, I was
cute little beagle pup of his.”
“I’m not
listening.” I put my hands over my ears to emphasize the point as I made my way
to the small office I kept in the back. It was barely more than a closet but
big enough that I could squeeze in a small desk, a bookshelf containing a host
of animal care books and a filing cabinet. More than anything, it was my
retreat while I wasn’t seeing a patient. I turned on the computer to begin filling
my time until my first appointment. My email proved a useless distraction,
filled with spam advertisements that only made my lonely condition appear even
more desperate than it really was.
I made it
through my first two morning appointments and braced myself for Adam and
Tiger’s arrival. Just as I expected, Adam walked in the door exactly five
minutes before his allotted time. I listened as he exchanged greetings with
Mary and I peered around the corner from my partially open office door just
enough to get a glimpse of him with Tiger jumping happily at his feet. That was
not a sick dog.
“Hello, Adam,” I
said once Mary got a weight and temperature reading and allowed them to settle
in the exam room. I pushed my hands into the pockets of my coat hoping to hide
the fact that for some reason today, I was actually shaking.
“Dr. Jamison,”
he said reaching to shake my hand, firm and confident.
“Please, Adam, I
told you last time that you could call me Alex. No need to be so formal.”
“Sure, Alex,” he
said smiling as he released my hand. I couldn’t help but to notice the glint in
his green eyes as he looked at me. There was something warm and inviting about
his smile that I hadn’t really noticed before, despite his frequent appearances
in my office. Mary was not shy about making her opinion about Adam known. He
was hot and he had his eye on me. I had to admit that his frequent visits were
starting to feel less coincidental. Mary went as far as to suggest that the
only reason that Adam even got a puppy was so that he’d have an excuse to come
see me. I found that a bit ludicrous. But Adam was becoming less shy about
hiding his interest in me. He had asked me out the last three times he came
into my office and I’d quickly turned him down each time. I was counting on the
fact that he’d make a fourth attempt today and I had already prepared my
rejection.
I pulled away
from his green eyes and set to examine Tiger from top to bottom, certain that I
wouldn’t actually find anything wrong with him. I asked a few questions about
his habits and Adam gave me quick responses. Once I’d finished, I leaned back
against the counter and decided to get straight to the point.
“Tiger is one of
the healthiest little puppies, I’ve seen,” I said to him trying to ease
whatever concerns kept landing him back in my office. “I really think you just
need to give him a little time to settle into his new home.”
Adam petted
Tiger’s head affectionately avoiding my direct eye contact. I braced myself for
the real reason he was here and decided to cut him off before he’d managed to
say the words.
“I’m not going
to charge you for this visit,” I said as I tried to search for the right words
to put an end to this once and for all, “but I don’t expect to see you back
here until Tiger is due for his next round of vaccinations.”
Adam attached
the leash to Tiger’s collar and set him back on the floor. He didn’t need to
say anything. My tone made it clear that I didn’t plan on budging from this
decision and I was certain the man could only handle being rejected so many
times before he finally moved on. As I watched him mess with Tiger, a new
stirring started in the pit of my stomach. From the back, he looked remarkably
like the stranger I’d encountered the other night.
Adam stood up to
face me and offer his hand to shake again and I struggled to catch my breath.
It hadn’t been him that night, I was
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